Baseball glove



Dec. 30, 1941. E. NOLTE BASEBALL GLOVE Filed May 26, 1941 FIGZ.

INVENTOR ELME Y J N LTE ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 30, 1941 BASEBALL GLQVE Elmer Nolte, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Rawlings I Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a cor- H poration of Missouri Application May 26, 1941, Serial No. 395,187

1 Claim.

This invention relates to baseball gloves of the particular type, in which the backs of the fingers, or the back portion of each finger stall is provided with a seam that extends longitudinally of the finger back at the center of same. In prior baseball gloves of the type mentioned the back of each finger is constructed from two pieces of material joined together by a center seam that extends clear to the tip of the finger.

My invention has for its main object to provide a finger construction for baseball gloves, that is stronger, less expensive to manufacture, and easier to produce than prior finger constructions of the type mentioned.

Another object is to provide a baseball glove having stream-lined fingers comprising back portions, each of which is constructed from a blank or single piece of material, cut and sewed in such a way as to produce a finger back provided with a longitudinally-disposed center seam, and a continuous or unbroken portion at the upper end of said center seam which constitutes the tip portion of the finger back.

Figure l of the drawing is a fragmentary perspective view of a baseball glove, whose fingers or finger stalls have finger backs or finger back portions constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the finger backs completed and ready to be incorporated a stall or tubular element comprising a front member I and a back member 2 joined together at their marginal edges by a sewed seam 3. The finger back 2 is of novel construction and is formed from a blank or single piece a: of leather or other suitable material, usually cut by a die to the shape shown in Figure 2, and provided with a notch or gap 1/ that extends upwardly from the lower end of the blank and terminates short of the upper end of the blank. The opposed edges 2 of the notch yin the blank a: are sewed together so as to produce a finger back of the kind shown in Figure 2, provided with a longitudinally-disposed center seam 4 that extends upwardly and terminates short of a continuous, unbroken or unseamed tip portion 5 that extends transversely across the entire width of the finger back. After said finger back has been constructed or sewed up, as above described, it is combined with the front members I of the fingers by marginal edge seams 3. It should be noted that the longitudinal center seam 4 of each finger back does not cross or intercept the marginal seam 3. It should also be noted that the longitudinal center seam of the finger back has no tendency to impart stiffness to the tip portion of the finger back.

A finger construction of the kind above described is strong and has great wear-resisting properties, because the tip portion 5 of the finger back that is dragged over the ground when the glove is in use, has no center seam that can rip or tear. Another reason why such a finger construction isstrong and not so liable to rip as prior finger constructions of the general type mentioned, is that the center seams of the finger backs terminate short of the tips of the finger stalls, and consequently, the thread used to produce the longitudinal center seam of each finger back is not liable to be punctured, and thus broken by the needle used in the operation of sewing the marginal edge of the finger back to the marginal edge of the front member I of the finger. By using a single piece of material instead of two pieces of material to form the back of each finger of the glove, I reduce by one-half the number of die operations, and another saving in the manufacturing cost is effected by cutting down the length of the center seams of the finger backs and making it unnecessary to stop the sewing machine and jump across a sewed seam, in the operation of producing the marginal seams 3 that join the front members I of the fingers to the back members 2. In manufacturing a baseball glove the parts of the glove are joined or sewed together with the wrong side of said parts disposed outwardly. Thereafter, the glove is turned inside out, so that the finished surface of the material from which the glove is constructed will be disposed on the outer side of the glove. In prior finger constructions of the type previously mentioned the longitudinal center seam of each finger back extends to the tip of the finger, and hence, makes the tip portion of the finger so stiff that it is relatively difficult to turn the finger inside-out. Moreover, as the turning operation imposes a terrific strain on the center seam of the finger back, said seam is liable to rip during the turning operation. My invention overcomes, or at least, minimizes both of the above-mentioned inherent objections to prior finger constructions of the kind previously mentioned, inasmuch as my invention produces a finger stall that is relatively easy to turn, inasmuch as the longitudinal center seam of the finger back terminates short of the tip of the finger.

The shape or form of the slit or notch 11 in the blank :L' is immaterial, so far as my invention is concerned. If it i desired to produce a finger or finger stall having a back portion that curves forwardly, the opposed edges 2 of the notch in the blank .7: are curved in the way shown in Figure 3. My invention contemplates either providing the finger back with a simple center seam 4 of the kind shown in Figures 1 and 2, or a welted seam of the kind shown in Figure 4, it being understood, of course, that the Welt 6 shown in Figure 4 is incorporated in the finger back during the operation of producing the longitudinal center seam 4.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A finger construction for baseball gloves, consisting of a front member and a back member having their marginal edges joined together, said back member being constructed from a blank or shaped piece of material having a notch extending upwardly from the lower edge of same and terminating short of the upper end of said blank, the opposed edges of the notch in said blank being sewed together so as to produce a seam in the finger back, disposed longitudinally of same and terminating below an uncut or unseamed tip portion of the full width of the finger back.

ELMER. NOLTE. 

